


Family Feud - part 1 of 4

by awriterfandf



Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [44]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Girls und Panzer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28822866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterfandf/pseuds/awriterfandf
Summary: Tsukino Usagi and the Sailor Senshi return to Ooarai Girls Academy to visit their friends, and find a new and most challenging Sensha-do experience awaiting them.This is the second follow-up to 'Twist of Fate' and takes place immediately after the previous story 'Friends Forever'.Part 1 of 4.
Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [44]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095488





	Family Feud - part 1 of 4

**Family Feud - part 1 of 4**

. . . . .

Tsukino Usagi and the Sailor Senshi return to Ooarai Girls Academy to visit their friends, and find a new and most challenging Sensha-do experience awaiting them.

This is the second follow-up to 'Twist of Fate' and takes place immediately after the previous story 'Friends Forever'.

. . . . .

**Chapter 1:**

Wednesday morning dawned clear and bright on the Zuikaku, with a warm breeze gently stirring the fresh, salty sea air around the gigantic ship. Walking to school after the extra two-day break from classes, Nishizumi Miho hummed softly to herself as she strolled along the sidewalk, thinking about the recent unforgettable day she and her Anglerfish team had spent with Usagi and her friends at Makoto's house. Miho's thoughts soon turned to the present and her boyfriend Yusei, hoping her next date with the handsome sixteen-year-old boy would again stir the joy and happiness that filled her heart whenever they were together. 'I'm in love!' she suddenly realized, and a bright smile appeared on her pretty face.

A melody began playing inside her bookbag and she opened it to check her phone. Miho was overjoyed to find a text message from Yusei which simply said the boys would be at her Sensha-do match on Saturday, that he was missing her deeply and had something very important to tell her when they met again.

'I wonder what it could be?' the brown-haired girl mused. She stopped walking to text him back, telling him how much she really missed him too, and wishing he had a wonderful day at class. She promised to definitely see him again on the coming weekend, and finished her text by adding a line of red hearts to the end of her message. Miho sighed happily, slipped the phone back into her bookbag and was about to continue on to her first class of the day when she heard a familiar female voice speak behind her.

"Remember us, Miho-san?"

'That sounds like Makoto!' she thought. Quickly turning around, Miho smiled brightly at the five girls in white and green Ooarai school fuku who walked up to her. "Minna! You came back to Ooarai! That's terrific!"

"Ohayou, Miho-san" Makoto grinned. "Hai, we're here again, wearing out our welcome."

"This is so wonderful! My team will be so happy to see you again!"

"We'll be happy to see them too" Minako giggled. "It's been three whole weeks since you left us!"

"Nani? But we were at Makoto's house just a few days ago, Minako-san."

Ami spoke, "Usagi's future self must have teamed up with Setsuna to send us back in time to the Wednesday after we left Ooarai, Miho-san. It really has been three weeks since we were last together, at least in our dimension."

"It's so good you can do that!" the Anglerfish commander exclaimed. "It means you won't have any marks against your record for missing classes! Let's go find the other girls. We can chat for a few minutes before the bell rings." She asked, "Minna, how long will you be with us this time? I hope you'll be able to join us for our match on Saturday!"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think we'll be at Ooarai for at least a week, Miho-san" Usagi said. She frowned, "I _hate_ not knowing what future me is thinking!"

"You usually have enough trouble knowing what the _present_ you is thinking, Usagi-chan" Rei smirked.

"Rei-chan, you promised you wouldn't tease me anymore!" the blonde grumbled. "Remember? Don't you dare go back on your word."

"Well... just this once, for old time's sake" the miko smiled. "Or maybe twice. I'll save the second tease for later, when you most deserve it. And knowing you as well as I do, Usagi-chan, I probably won't need to save it very long."

"Ohh! You're being annoying and picking on me again!" Usagi groaned. "I _knew_ it was too good to last!"

Rei smiled, "Nothing lasts forever, Usagi-chan. Except love, and your insane appetite."

"Ok, that's twice!" the blonde fumed. "So enough already!"

Rei innocently looked away. "It was? I wasn't counting."

" _Be quiet, Miserable-chan!"_

Miho giggled, "The way you two always tease each other is so funny! I really missed that!"

"I didn't" Usagi muttered. She suddenly gasped, " _Ohh!_ Minna, I just thought of something awful!"

"What would that be, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked.

"We just spent the last three weeks studying our lessons at Juuban, Ami-chan. But now that we're back at Ooarai and it's almost three weeks ago, I have to learn most of the same stuff all over again!"

The blue-haired girl genius tried to put a positive spin on the situation. "At least repeating your lessons should help you improve your grades."

"I doubt it" Rei chuckled. "And before you say that's three times, Usagi-chan, I wasn't counting that one either."

Miho politely hid her giggle with her hand as Usagi stared dejectedly skyward. "Double classes! _What_ _have I done?"_

. . . . .

The other Anglerfish teens enthusiastically welcomed Usagi's group a few minutes later, after they spotted the six girls enter the grounds of the Ooarai Girls Academy's sprawling campus. Surprisingly, they found Mako among them, appearing unusually well rested for so early in the morning.

"Ohayou, minna. It's great to have you back with us." Mako told the driver of Luna team's Panzer IV, "You may like to know that we have our next Sensha-do practice at two this afternoon, Minako-san."

" _Hontou ni?"_ The bubbly blonde nearly leapt out of her brown school shoes at the news. "I finally get to drive my tank again! _Yes! Yes! Yes!"_

"That's nearly all she's been talking about since you left us three weeks ago, Mako-san" Makoto chuckled. "She's been driving her poor Taro crazy about how much she misses you and your team, and Sensha-do."

"Hai!' Minako glanced around to be sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "My honey muffin and I watched your 'Girls und Panzer' anime a dozen more times!" the blonde exclaimed. "Every episode, from start to finish!" She told her Ooarai friends, "Haruka got so tired of re-renting the tv and tape player, she bought new ones and gave them to Mako-chan. So now we have an even bigger tv permanently at the house. And Setsuna gave us spare copies of all the tapes, too!"

"I guess that makes you the official president of our fan club, Minako-sensei" Yukari giggled. "By now, you probably know more about the other schools and their tanks then some of our first-year girls who competed against them do!"

"That knowledge may come in really handy during our exhibition match this weekend" Miho smiled at the excited blonde. She told the brunette standing beside her, "We still have very little idea what to expect on Saturday, Makoto-san. We still don't know what the match rules will be, or even who will be participating in the competition. Except for Saunders" she added. "Nagasaki is their school ship's home port so I assume they'll be hosting the event."

Makoto asked, "You mentioned when you were with us in Nerima that there's supposed to be more than two schools involved in the match, Miho-san?"

"Hai" Ooarai's Sensha-do commander nodded. "According to a rumor that's going around, Anzu thinks there'll be four schools in total this time, two per side, and possibly six tanks per school. Maybe even more. She sent me a text about it before I left my apartment this morning."

"That's a lot of tanks!" Minako exclaimed.

"Hai, it is, Minako-san. We may even need to switch tactics quickly for each unique tank we face, which makes everything a lot more complicated! If the rumor is true, it may prove to be nearly as challenging to win this exhibition match as the national tournament was." Miho smiled at the Luna team commander. "Are you ready for your biggest Sensha-do battle yet, Makoto-san?"

"I can't wait!" the tall brunette grinned. "The way I see it, Miho-san, more tanks just means more targets for us to shoot." She made a fist and smacked it into the palm of her other hand. "So _bring_ _'em on!"_

Miho laughed, "I _love_ your positive attitude, Makoto-san!" She suggested to the group, "Minna, how about we all have lunch up on the roof today?"

"Anywhere is fine with me!" Usagi grinned. "I'm starving already!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 2:**

When lunchtime came, Miho's Anglerfish team joined Makoto's crew, carrying their meal trays upstairs to the roof of the cafeteria building. The two teams sat facing each other at one of a half-dozen long brightly-painted picnic tables, the girls noticing that Riko's Hippo team were already having their noon-day meal nearby.

Usagi spotted Rei staring at her over-filled tray and frowned. "Go ahead, Rei-chan" the blonde sighed. "Make another mean joke about my appetite. I know you're dying to."

"I wasn't thinking of your appetite, Usagi-chan."

Usagi gave the miko a suspicious look. "No?"

"Not at all. I was just wondering what kind of metal they used to make your food tray. It must be exceptionally strong to hold all that weight. Perhaps we can use more of those trays to cover the outside of our Panzer, for extra armor."

"Ok, then that's... wait a minute! That _was_ a joke! _"_ Usagi scowled at the raven-gaired girl.

"And a very sneaky one!" Miho giggled.

"Fine!" Usagi lowered her voice. "Next time future me brings us here, I'm leaving _you_ behind, Rei-chan. _I'll_ be the loader, and the radio operator too!"

"And there goes our tank!" Makoto chuckled. "Boom!"

"Ohh! Mako-chan, don't you be like her too now. Putting up with one evil Rei is more than enough for me!"

"Gomen, Usagi-chan" her brunette friend chuckled. "I tried not to say it, but I couldn't resist."

"Try harder next time!" the blonde fumed.

Riko got up and walked over to the girls' table. "Miho-san, have you heard the latest rumor?"

"There's _another_ one?" the Anglerfish commander asked in surprise.

"Hai. It's totally unverified, of course. But my source in Nagasaki told me and Anzu the name of the second school we'll likely be competing against. And it isn't good news."

"You have a spy on the inside, Erwin?" Yukari exclaimed. "That's so exciting!"

"I prefer to think of her as a covert operative, Yukari-san" Riko smiled.

"So which school is it?" Saori asked the teen wearing the German field marshall's cap and jacket over her white and green fuku.

"Kuromorimine Girls Academy."

" _My sister?"_ Miho's smile quickly vanished. "If that's true, and the other team fighting alongside them is Saunders..." She frowned, "Minna, we have a big problem."

"Nonsense, Miho-san!" Minako insisted with a dismissive wave of her hand, "You beat your sister's school before, and you'll do it again! I know you will!"

"We defeated Kuromorimine alone, Minako-san" Mako reminded her. "Adding Kay's Shermans to Maho's Tigers and Panthers may prove to be a lot more than our tanks can handle."

Yukari muttered, "I hope that giant Maus doesn't turn up again!"

"I need to rethink our strategy for Saturday's match" Miho murmured. "We need to try something fresh and new, something the other schools aren't expecting. If only we knew which school will be helping us."

"Still working on that, Miho-san" Riko said. "Perhaps my operative is mistaken and it won't be Kuromorimine after all. But I thought you should know that it's a strong possibility, and knowing is half the battle."

Makoto remained undeterred. "We'll do whatever it takes to help you win this one, Miho-san. Try not to worry too much about it." She tried to brighten her friend's mood, asking the Hippo team commander, "Erwin, would you mind doing me a big favor? I'd really like to try on your hat."

"Sure thing, Makoto-san!" Riko removed her cap and handed it to the brunette. "Minna, why is everyone staring at me?"

Miho's bright smile quickly reappeared. "Because we've never seen you without it before, Erwin! You look... so different!"

"I do?"

Makoto slipped the back of the field marshall's cap over the two green balls of her hair tie and pulled it down onto her forehead. She grinned at Ami.

"How do I look?"

"Very authoratative, Mako-chan!" the blue-haired girl giggled. "Or should I address you as Rommel-chan from now on?" Ami gave the brunette a brisk salute, and the other girls of her team quickly followed.

"Rommel-chan!" Usagi cackled. "I like that! Uh... minna... who's Rommel?"

"Rommel is Erwin's family name" Rei told her. The miko sighed, "Haven't you learned _anything_ since we've been here?"

"Nani? I thought Erwin's family name was Matsumoto" the blonde puzzled.

"Not _this_ Erwin, baka!" the raven-haired girl sitting beside her muttered. "The other one!"

"There are _two_ Erwins now?" Usagi gasped. "Does our Erwin have a cousin or something? I'm so confused!"

"Aren't you always that way?" Rei teased.

" _Hush up, you!"_

. . . . .

A few minutes after two that afternoon, the Ooarai's Sensha-do teams gathered together at the tank hanger for their next practice. "Minna, before we head out to the range, I'd like to try something different this time" Miho said. "We'll divide ourselves into two groups, just like the way our match is supposed to be set up on Saturday. The first group I'm calling the Red team will consist of Anglerfish, Duck and Hippo, and the second, the Blue team, will have Turtle, Luna and Rabbit working together. That way we should hopefully be more evenly matched."

"Who's supposed to be the lead tank in our group, Miho?" Momo asked. "I assume it'll be my Hetzer, which puts me in charge, since Anzu wants to be our gunner today."

"Perhaps your leader should be someone whose tank actually managed to fire its weapon during our last match against St. Gloriana, Momo-chan" Mako murmured, causing Yukari to snicker.

The brown-haired Anglerfish loader blushed when Momo stared at her. "Sumimasen!"

" _That wasn't my fault!"_ Momo blurted at Mako. "And for the last time, _stop calling me Momo-chan!"_

Mako smiled. "No problem, Momo-chan."

The school's tall and thin public relations manager glared evilly down at the shorter Anglerfish driver through her half-glasses. "After we start today's practice, I hope somebody shoots your Panzer's track off!"

"Not happening, Momo-chan."

Jealous of Mako now having a boyfriend, Momo's face reddened and her hands clenched together as she tried to think of a good reply. "Just because you met that cute guy at the shore party and he's your boyfriend now _doesn't mean you can say whatever you want to us unattached girls, Mako!"_

"Momo, please calm down!" Ooarai's council vice president pleaded.

"I _am_ calm, Yuzu!" Momo yelled. She pointed at herself. " _This is my calm face!"_

"You could've fooled me!" Anzu laughed.

Miho interrupted the two teens before their feud escalated further. "Minna, we can settle this later. For today's practice, I want Makoto to take charge of Blue team to gain more leadership experience. We'll position our tanks at the opposite ends of the practice area, and commence our battle on my signal. The group with the last surviving tank wins. Ok? Then let's get today's skirmish underway."

As Makoto's Luna team walked into the building toward their Panzer, Miho caught up to their driver. "Minako-san, I need to ask you something. I received a text from Yusei this morning. He said he's going to tell me something very important when we see each other this weekend."

" _Oh_ _really?"_ Minako smiled.

"I'm more than a little worried about what he's going to say" Miho confessed. "Do you think it's possible he wants to... break up with me? I hope not!" She told the blonde, "I'm in love with Yusei, Minako-san. I truly am!"

"Of course you are!" Minako confidently replied. "Miho-san, I promise that breaking up with you is the _last_ thing on your guy's mind! You know what _I_ think? I think he's going to tell you what you just told me. That he's in love with you too! So get ready for your relationship with your boyfriend to turn a lot more serious after our match on Saturday!"

" _Hontou?"_ The brown-haired girl smiled happily. "That would be _so_ wonderful!" She hesitated, "But... how can you be so sure?"

The blonde with the red bow in her hair winked at her friend. "Remember who you're talking to here" she grinned. "My track record of matchmaking is one hundred percent successful, Miho-san! And it will _still_ be one hundred percent after next weekend! For you and every other girl on your team too!"

Miho giggled, "That's right... Sailor Venus!"

"So stop worrying about impossibly silly things like breakups!" Minako insisted. "How about we get in our tanks and have a fun afternoon shooting at each other? I've been _so_ looking forward to this for weeks!"

"Hai!" the Anglerfish commander smiled. "Tell you what, if Makoto's Blue squad wins today, I'll buy Luna team dinner tonight, Minako-san!"

"And if Red team wins, I'll buy _your_ team dinner!" Minako giggled, "As long as you don't make us do that crazy Anglerfish dance if we lose, it's a bet!"

"Ok! It's a deal!" Feeling much happier after hearing Minako's reassurance about Yusei, Miho climbed onto her Panzer IV, dropped into the turret and pulled on her headset, while Mako started the engine. She squeezed the microphone around her neck and spoke, "Minna, can everyone hear me?"

"Hai!" five radio operators chorused in reply.

"Then follow me out to the range, and good hunting everyone! _Panzer vor!"_

Miho's tank lead the way and the six massive machines rumbled out of the hanger. The tanks split up into their respective teams when they reached the practice grounds, with Makoto's Blue team turning into a forested area, where they soon disappeared from sight.

. . . . .

**Chapter 3:**

Fifteen minutes later, Luna team's Panzer was leading the two other tanks of Blue team through a shallow valley. With Azusa's M3 Lee behind and to the left of Makoto's tank, and Momo's Hetzer trailing to the right, the vee-shaped formation cautiously advanced into Red team's end of the practice grounds.

Makoto spoke into her microphone, "Usagi-chan, double-check your radio to make sure you're not broadcasting to Red team. Talk to our tanks individually, ok? No sense in making Miho's job any easier."

The odango-haired blonde replied over the Panzer's intercom, "Hai. One tank at a time, Mako-chan. I'll make sure I don't use the frequency everyone can hear."

Rei spoke, "I have to admit it, Usagi-chan. You're a lot better with that radio than I ever could've imagined you'd be."

"Thanks a lot for being so confident in my abilities, Nasty-chan" Usagi muttered. "You can even make a compliment sound sarcastic."

"Don't mention it!" the miko laughed.

Standing with her upper body exposed above the turret, Makoto swept the area beyond her three tanks with her binoculars as they trundled along. They soon encountered a wooded plot and she guided Blue team into it, seeking better cover. Makoto told her crew, "Minna, I don't like this. I'd swear Miho is somewhere close by and doing what she does best, setting a trap for us to blindly stumble into."

"I'm getting the same feeling, Mako-chan" Ami replied. She giggled nervously, "It's rather unsettling!"

"I _hate_ creeping so slowly between all these silly trees!" Minako griped, the blonde fidgeting restlessly in her driver's seat. "I want to speed up, Mako-chan!"

"Not yet. Keep us moving nice and slow for now, Minako-chan. I'm sure you'll get the chance to terrify everyone with your insanely fast driving soon enough."

The brunette's Panzer clattered up a shallow grade, and as they neared the top, Makoto suddenly spied a lone tank far in the distance, sitting motionless and facing away from them. "Minako-chan, stop us here! Usagi-chan, tell our teammates to hold their position! Miho's Panzer is directly ahead of us!"

"Hai!" both girls replied. While Usagi worked the radio, Ami peered through her gunner's scope, swinging her turret a few degrees left. "I have a shot, Mako-chan, but the enemy tank is at the extreme limit of our gun's effective range. We certainly won't disable them from this distance."

"Let's zoom in and blast them from up close!" Minako urged her commander, her foot poised above the accelerator.

Makoto frowned. "No. I smell a trap, Minako-chan. We need to make sure Red team's other two tanks aren't hiding anywhere near... _nani?_ _What on earth is Momo doing?_ " The brunette yelled into her microphone, " _Usagi-chan, tell Momo's Hetzer to stop!"_

"I _did_ already, Mako-chan!" her radio operator's voice crackled back.

" _Tell them again!"_

In the Hetzer, Momo had instructed her driver, "Ignore Makoto's ridiculous order and step on it, Yuzu! Drive us straight at Miho's Panzer! This is the perfect opportunity to take her tank out of today's skirmish." She grinned evilly, "I'll get even with Mako for calling me Momo-chan!"

"But Makoto said-"

"I don't care _what_ she said! She's being far too cautious! _Just do it!"_

"Hai." Yuzu reluctantly put the Hetzer in gear and accelerated the tank hard. "We're going to get in trouble for disobeying orders" she fretted.

"Anzu, shoot as soon as we're close enough!" The student council public relations manager cackled, "We'll knock that sleeping Panzer out before Miho knows what hit her! I'm going to make sure Reizei Mako will be _walking_ out of here today!"

Makoto stared in disbelief as the Hetzer roared past her tank and crested the grade, making a beeline toward Miho's seemingly oblivious Panzer. "That girl is just asking for trouble" she sighed. "Minako-chan, follow Momo's tank, but stay well back. Usagi-chan, tell Rabbit team to follow us!"

Minako pushed the accelerator down and her short-barreled Panzer chased after the Hetzer, with Makoto watching closely for any sign of movement from their target. The brunette didn't have to wait long, for just as she had expected, Miho's tank suddenly bolted away, zig-zagging just enough to tease the Hetzer into continuing to chase after it, while preventing its fixed gun from achieving an accurate aim.

Thirty meters in front of Makoto's tank, Momo stubbornly forged ahead with her wild charge, her mind bent on getting revenge on the Panzer's driver. "Faster, Yuzu! We need to finish them before they can attack us!"

"I'm doing my best!"

"Miho is running into heavier cover" Makoto told her team. "Minako-chan, _please_ try not to hit any trees this time!"

"Of course I won't, silly!" Minako giggled, "At least, I'll _try_ not to!"

. . . . .

In the long-barreled Panzer of Red team, Miho watched the Hetzer race towards her. "Saori, let our teammates know we're being followed. Mako, drive us between those two big trees we're using as markers and keep zig-zagging at top speed until we can spring our little trap."

"With pleasure, Miho-san" Mako replied, smoothly working the track control levers while keeping the pedal beneath her right foot pressed firmly to the floor.

Yukari giggled, "Your plan is so cleverly devious, Nishizumi-dono! I love it!"

"I thought you'd enjoy it, Yukari" Miho smiled appreciatively at her loader. "Now that we have our catch on the line, let's reel it in."

"Hai!"

. . . . .

"Can't you shoot them _yet_ , Anzu?" Momo impatiently hissed. "We're close enough now!"

"Mako is swerving her Panzer all over the place, Momo! I can't get a clean shot!" the council president snapped back. "She has to drive straighter when the gap between the trees gets narrow up ahead. I'll take my shot then!"

"Hurry up and do it! I can't wait forever!" Momo gloated, "I want to brag to everyone at school about us being the first Ooarai tank to knock out Nishizumi Miho's Panzer!"

She was startled by a sudden loud blast as a shell from the Panzer cratered the ground in front of her Hetzer.

"I wouldn't start bragging yet if I were you!" Anzu grinned from the gunner's seat as they bounced over the hole.

. . . . .

As her tank followed Momo's Hetzer and its rapidly retreating quarry deeper into the forest, Makoto glanced behind to make sure the first-year girls' Lee was still following her. But when she again looked ahead, she caught a brief glimpse of the end of a long gun barrel protruding menacingly from the trees ahead and to the left of Miho's fleeing tank.

"That's Erwin's STuG!"

Another shape caught her eye in the brush off to her right, quickly revealing itself to be Isobe Noriko's Mitsubishi Type 89, sitting poised to strike.

" _Minako-chan, hit the brakes!"_

" _Doing it!"_

Makoto's tank skidded to a halt not a moment too soon.

Now realizing what Miho had planned, the Luna team commander could only grimace as she watched the Hetzer speed directly between the other two tanks of Red team, driving obliviously into the trap the young Anglerfish commander had set.

Riko's STuG fired first, and an instant later the gun of Noriko's tank joined in the carnage. Just as Anzu was about to pull her gun's trigger, Momo's tank was struck simultaneously on both sides of its hull and it clattered noisily to a stop, its white flag popping up and gently waving in the afternoon breeze.

With her half-glasses hanging crookedly down her cheek and her ears ringing from the deafening twin impacts of the shells, Momo looked in stunned shock at her gunner. "What just happened?"

"We're dead, Momo!" Anzu laughed. "That's what happened!"

. . . . .

"Shimatta!" Makoto growled from the turret of her Panzer. "I _knew_ something like this was bound to happen! Ami-chan, target the Type 89 and let 'em have it!"

"Hai!"

Having anticipated the brunette's order, Ami skillfully finished rotating her turret twenty degrees to the right, nudged her gun's elevation a touch higher and pulled the trigger. Her shell disabled Noriko's tank with a single shot to its left track.

"At least we got the volleyball team" Makoto muttered while Rei quickly slid a fresh round into the breech of her weapon. "Usagi-chan, tell Rabbit to fire at the STuG then fall back! Ami-chan, try to cover them when they retreat! Minako-chan, as soon as the Lee shoots, get us out of here!"

A moment later the Lee fired its main gun, dealing a harmless glancing blow to the sharply-angled front armor of Erwin's now-moving tank.

Inside the Lee, panic reigned as Azusa frantically ordered her driver to turn around. "Two of Red team's tanks are trying to aim at us!" she gasped. " _Turn faster, Karina-chan!"_

But it was too late for the first-year students to make good on their escape. Hana calmly squeezed her trigger and another shell burst from the long barrel of Miho's Panzer IV, embedding itself deeply into the hull of the tall, ungainly-looking Lee and giving the soft-spoken girl her first kill of the day.

"We're the only Blue team tank left" Makoto told her stunned crew. "Minako-chan, you've been itching to drive fast all day! Now's your chance!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 4:**

"It's about time!" Minako exclaimed. She shoved the left control lever forward and gunned the engine, pivoting her tank sharply around, then tore away from Red team's surviving tanks before either gunner could point their weapon at her fleeing Panzer IV.

"Minna, the race is on!" Minako's laugh echoed in her teammates' headsets. "It's between Mako and me now, and even though she may be the better driver, there's _no way_ I'm going to lose to her today!"

"Famous last words" Makoto muttered. She gripped tightly onto the upper rim of her tank's cupola as her Panzer bounced across the uneven ground rushing beneath its tracks. The battle now became a race for survival between her tank and the two pursuers of Red team. Even though Minako was pushing her tank's powerful engine as hard as she possibly could, the Blue Team's commander knew that it was only a matter of time until Miho's Panzer and Erwin's STuG caught up and came close enough to score an easy kill and win the afternoon's skirmish.

"This sharp zig-zagging is costing us too much forward speed!" Makoto told her driver. "Try to drive straight more often, Minako-chan! But not too often!"

"Leave it to me, Mako-chan! Everything's under control!"

Ami had turned her turret backwards, but the blue-haired gunner knew that striking either target at this speed over rough terrain would be nothing less than a miracle. "I can't guarantee a good hit unless we slow down somewhat, Mako-chan!"

"If we do that we're finished!" Makoto replied over the intercom. "Just do the best you can, Ami-chan!"

Two loud explosions in the dirt, one on each side of her tank, told the brunette that Hana and Kiyomi had their range perfectly dialled in, and just a single lucky shot from either girl's powerful long-barreled gun would bring an end to the battle.

Yet another round was fired from Miho's Panzer seconds later, Hana's shot aimed so close to Makoto's tank that it scraped along one side of its turret, leaving a deep gouge across one of the crescent moon emblems as it whistled past and caused the brunette to flinch. "Any closer than that and we're done for!"

The trio of vehicles raced across the practice area, exchanging more shots between them but with none finding their target.

The Luna team's commander eventually spotted the edge of a long, steep downgrade approaching and yelled "Minna, hold on!" seconds before her Panzer briefly became airborne, disappearing from her persuers' sight.

It came crashing back to earth with a bone-jarring thud on the downward slope, accompanied by a groan from Usagi. " _Ooh! My headset fell off!"_

Makoto's mind raced, struggling to think of a better option than running away but finding none. She frowned, 'I _hate_ this, but what else can we do?'

Inside the long-barreled Panzer IV, Miho told the STuG's commander over the radio, "Makoto is running out of maneuvering room, Erwin. She's nearly reached the corner of the practice area, and has to turn around soon or she'll cross the boundary line and forfeit the match. Let's slow way down and attack her tank more accurately together when it reappears at the top of the hill."

"Hai!" Riko replied, grinning wickedly. "Just one round into that Panzer's soft underbelly and the win is ours, Miho-san! _Ut vicimus!"_

Both Red team tanks slowed their forward motion to a crawl, still running side by side several meters apart, their gunners waiting with fingers ready on their triggers.

Makoto also spotted the approaching markers designating the end of the practice zone. "Minako-chan, we can't go any further! Turn us around! Drive us back up the hill, and I want you to stop hard when we reach the crest. Maybe Ami can get one last good shot at someone before we're wiped out and I have to see that damned white flag pop up again!"

"Doing it!" Minako pulled firmly back on her right control lever, heeling her tank into a sharp one hundred and eighty degree turn. "Mako-chan, let me try something I watched in the anime!"

"What's that?"

"I'm going to drive us straight between Red team's tanks! Ami can knock out Miho's Panzer after we zoom past, and we can take out Erwin's slower STuG later!"

"There probably won't be enough space to fit between them, Minako-chan! I don't want us to run into anyone, somebody could get hurt!"

"Of course there'll be room, silly!" the blonde giggled. "Watch expert Panzer driver Aino Minako save the day!" She pressed in the clutch, changed to a lower gear and stomped on the gas pedal, sending her tank speeding up the grade.

Makoto hastily dropped back into the turret. "Minna, brace yourselves!"

Miho had fully expected Makoto to attempt the brunette's planned desperation shot when her Panzer neared the top of the slope, but was caught off-guard when her friend's tank instead came thundering into view, bounding into the air once more as it leapt over the hill's crest at full power and charging directly at Red team. She too clambered back inside her turret, fearing the worst.

With no time to correct their aim, the rounds Hana and Kayomi had hurriedly fired at Makoto's tank passed just beneath the charging Panzer IV. Yukari scrambled to reload her weapon, encouraging the gunner sitting across from her, "Make this next one count, Hana! You can do it!"

Minako stared through her driver's viewing window as her Panzer sped toward the opposing tanks, gingerly steering into the gap between them. "Minna, we can make it! We can make it!... _We_ _can't make it!"_

Suddenly realizing the gap between STuG and Panzer IV was just a little narrower than she needed it to be, the blonde driver stood on the brake pedal as hard as she could.

Seconds later, the three massive vehicles came together with a harsh screech of tortured metal as the tracks of Makoto's Panzer jammed tightly between those of Miho's and Erwin's tanks, bringing all three vehicles to an abrupt halt.

" _Ahh! My ears!"_ Usagi grimaced.

. . . . .

Makoto's head and upper body emerged from the turret of her stopped tank, followed by Miho appearing from hers. The brunette regarded the tightly locked-together tracks between them and grinned sheepishly at her friend. "Well... this is embarrassing."

Miho smiled, "You get full points for effort, Makoto-san! If that gap was any wider, you would've made it through and gotten a clear shot at us! Nice try!"

Riko's cap-clad head next appeared above her open hatch to Makoto's left. "Hai, a valiant attempt, Makoto-san! But alas, it was not to be."

Makoto reached into her turret, grabbed her map and crumpled it into a ball. With a grin she playfully threw it at Miho, who giggled as she caught the paper ball and threw it back.

"We can't shoot at each other all jammed together like this" Makoto chuckled. "Now what?"

Miho activated her throat microphone. "Mako, we seem to be stuck to our opponent. Can you free us?"

"I'll try, Miho-san."

Her driver shifted into reverse, revved her Panzer's engine to full power and quickly released the clutch. Sparks flew from the grinding treads and steel screamed in protest before her tank abruptly broke free and backed up a dozen meters.

Miho and Makoto stared at each other, both girls suddenly thinking the same thing, and hastily ordered their gunners to aim and fire from close range. But it was Hana who beat Ami to the punch, pulling the trigger first and ending the match with a deafening clang when her round shook Makoto's Panzer as it imbedded itself in its front armor.

Wearing a wry grin, Makoto promptly climbed out of her turret and bent down to grasp the shaft of the extended white flag with both hands, pretending to strangle it.

Miho couldn't help but laugh at the comical sight. "You nearly had us, Makoto-san! You honestly did, it was that close!"

"Damned flag!" the brunette muttered at it, still grinning. "Next time you show yourself, you really _are_ going over the side of the ship, and straight to the bottom of the ocean!"

Her tank's driver's hatch swung open and Minako appeared, her face red. "Gomen nasai, Mako-chan!" She giggled, "I guess I misjudged the gap! Silly me!"

The tall brunette glared down at her. "No kidding."

Mako eased her victorious Panzer closer to the disabled tank and Miho smiled sweetly at the embarrassed blonde. "Is six an ok time for dinner tonight, Minako-san?"

"Hai, that'll be good, Miho-san! The same restaurant as last time!" Minako laughed, "Don't forget to bring your appetites!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 5:**

Early that evening, while the girls of Anglerfish team were enjoying their dinner at Minako's considerable expense, Makoto asked, "Is there anything important we should know about your sister that could help us in Saturday's competition, Miho-san? I don't want to pry into your family affairs, but in the anime she mostly came across as cold hearted and even rude at times."

"Maho often behaves that way, Makoto-san. She puts winning her Sensha-do battles and the honor of my mother's school above all else." Miho frowned, "Sometimes I think she has forgotten what it means to have fun and enjoy the feminine art the way it was truly meant to be experienced."

"That's most unfortunate, Miho-san" Ami said. "Winning is important as a measure of proficiency, of course, but it certainly isn't everything."

"To Maho it is, Ami-san" Yukari muttered. "And with Kuromorimine having such powerful tanks at their disposal, she almost always gets her way."

Mako added, "Maho's Tiger has more than double the engine power of our Panzers, Makoto-san, with a larger caliber gun and a faster turret traverse speed. Finding your tank in its sights may prove to be a most unpleasant experience."

"Sounds like this weekend's match is going to be a real handful for us" Makoto mused. She chuckled, "Now _I'm_ starting to worry."

" _I'm_ not worried about your sister and her fancy tanks! Not at all!" Minako confidently exclaimed to Miho. "Your Anglerfish team has Mako, the best driver, Yukari, the fastest loader, Saori's speedy radio skills, Hana's killer gunnery and if that wasn't enough, Ooarai has another extra-special advantage that Kuromorimine doesn't have. The best advantage of all!"

"We do?" Miho puzzled.

"Hai! We have _you_ commanding our teams, Miho-san!"

The brown-haired girl blushed. "Arigatou, Minako-san. I only hope I can live up to your high expectations on Saturday."

"You will!" Minako smiled back. She reminded the girls, "Minna, here's another thing to remember. Don't forget about all the moral support you'll get from your boyfriends. Having them at the match this weekend cheering you on will help a lot too!" She sighed, "I wish my Taro could be here to cheer _me_ on."

"Hai, I can hear him now" Rei chuckled. " _Go Minako-chan! Drive like a lunatic! Jam your Panzer between two other tanks! Hit that tree!"_

Usagi cackled, " _Then back up and hit it again!"_

"Not funny" the blonde muttered. "I made one or two tiny little mistakes during our practice skirmishes and I'll never hear the end of it! Can't we talk about something else for a while?"

"I've been meaning to ask, did anyone get their tea?" Saori questioned the girls. "Darjeeling promised us two weeks' supply if we beat St. Gloriana but I haven't received mine yet."

"Me neither!" Usagi blurted. "Where's _my_ fancy English tea?" She added, "I didn't much care for it at first, but after drinking all those cups I had at the shore party, it's really starting to grow on me."

"Really?" Rei grinned. "If you like it _that_ much, maybe you should switch schools and attend St. Gloriana from now on, Usagi-chan. Oh, and make sure you join their Sensha-do program. Darjeeling would never win a match ever again." Before her scowling friend could utter a reply, she quickly added, "And _that's_ officially my second tease, so you can stop counting now."

"Our tea will probably arrive on the next Sunkus supply boat" Yukari reassured the girls. "There's one due to meet up with the Zuikaku late Friday afternoon."

"You even have the supply ship schedules memorized?" Mako asked, opening her eyes to peer inquisitively at the brown-haired girl.

"Hai, I do, Mako-san! It came in really handy when I snuck aboard Saunders' school ship to do that reconnaisance mission!"

"The same mission where you got caught and they chased you off the George Washington!" Miho giggled. "That video you made was so funny! But I do appreciate your effort, Yukari. Finding out what Kay was planning helped us a lot during our match against Saunders."

"Arigatou, Nishizumi-dono!" her loader smiled happily. "I'd do anything for you and our team!"

"I guess all we can do now is hope Erwin's information about Kuromorimine is wrong" Saori frowned. "I can't imagine how hard it will be for us to win if your sister's school and Saunders are working together, Miho."

Her commander sipped her coffee, silently pondering Ooarai's chances for a moment. "Minna, I hate to say this, but any hope we have of winning is going to depend a whole lot on which school we're paired up with. If it's one of the weaker Sensha-do teams, like Chi-Ha-Tan or Anzio, we'll really have our backs to the wall. Those girls are good, courageous fighters, but their tanks won't fare well against Shermans, let alone Panthers or Tigers. Even if we're paired with St. Gloriana, we'll be struggling."

"I think there's way too much negativity here tonight!" Minako insisted. "We all need to be more confident about our next battle, Miho-san!"

"No problem, Minako-chan" Rei smiled. "I'm _very_ confident."

"Good! That's what I want to hear!"

"I'm confident your insane death-defying stunts at the controls and your non-stop pedal-to-the-floor driving is going to sink everyone in Luna team up to our eyeballs in hot water again" the miko snickered.

"That's not what I meant!" Minako grumbled. "Rei-chan, you're such a downer!"

"I have every reason to be, considering the way you drive" the miko scoffed. "Nice going today, by the way. You turned our Panzer into the filling of a tank sandwich."

"I love to drive really hard, Rei-chan! Everybody knows that! It helps our team in battle, it's fun, and it... turns me on" the blonde admitted.

" _Everything_ turns you on!" Rei laughed. "Not just being with your Taro. Moonlit nights... driving fast... smoking... I wouldn't be surprised if you get aroused taking out the trash, Minako-chan."

"Anyway, you're just jealous of my skill in the driver's seat!" Minako blustered, her face turning red.

" _Jealous?_ If you think I'm jealous, you're delusional, Minako-chan!"

Makoto held up her hand to silence the bickering girls. "That's enough, you two." She asked the Anglerfish commander, "Miho-san, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you have two other tanks available? I remember seeing them in later episodes of the anime, but they aren't in the hangar and haven't joined us during any of our practice sessions."

"Actually there are three other tanks, Makoto-san. Mallard team has their Char B1, Anteater team uses a Type 3 Chi-Nu, and Leopon Team, the girls in the automotive club, operate a very rare tank, a Porsche Tiger. You haven't seen Mallard yet because their commander, Midoriko Sono, has been tied up lately with her work on the Public Morals Committee. The Chi-Nu and Tiger are both in the shop for repairs."

"The Tiger P is _always_ in the shop" Yukari grumbled. "Whenever it isn't broken down in the field or catching on fire. I think they carry more fire extinguishers in it than gun rounds."

"It's really that unreliable?" Makoto chuckled.

Miho nodded. "It's a good tank... when it works. But we'll need it and everything else we have this weekend, and even that may not be enough."

. . . . .

**Chapter 6:**

Thursday's school day came and ever so slowly went, with the girls from Tokyo disappointed to find that no Sensha-do classes were scheduled until the following morning. After the final bell had ended their last class and the girls trekked toward their apartments, Usagi grumbled, "Today was brutal! I never realized how much I miss riding in our Panzer instead of sitting in boring class the whole day."

"Be sure to study your trigonometry lessons later, Usagi-chan" Ami reminded her. "Don't forget about the test we have tomorrow afternoon."

"I won't forget. But I wish I could!" the blonde muttered. "Stupid trigonometry, with its triangles and weird symbols and complicated formulas! I nearly fell asleep!" She asked, "Minna, what should we do this evening? After dinner, let's have fun together and forget about school for a few hours."

"How about a shopping trip?" Minako suggested. "Hana told me that the Zuikaku has a really nice shopping plaza in the center of town with all the latest fashions and everything!"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Minako-chan?" Rei spoke. "If we purchase anything here, we can't bring it with us when we return home to our dimension."

"Oh. That's right" the bubbly blonde sighed. "Well, _I'm_ fresh out of ideas. Or maybe not..." She giggled, "I could give Miho and her Anglerfish team another fun-filled love and romance lecture! There's _way_ more Phase Three topics I can tell them about!"

Usagi stared at her. "There _is?"_

"Forget it!" Makoto glared sternly at her future sister-in-law. "Save your advice on _that_ subject for later, Minako-chan. The _last_ thing the girls need is to get distracted before Saturday's big match in Nagasaki. Miho is really worried about competing against her sister again, and I promised her we'll do our absolute best to help her and our school win."

"Hai, though we'll certainly have to perform better in battle than we've managed to do in most of our practice skirmishes" Ami agreed. "I'm quite sure Maho is bound to seek personal revenge on Miho after losing to Ooarai in the national tournament, Mako-chan. The loss of face she felt that day must have been tremendous."

"Well she'd better get used to it, Ami-chan, because she's going to feel that same way again real soon" Makoto vowed. "Minna, it's past time we stop thinking and acting like regular high school girls when we're doing Sensha-do. We can't become Sailor Senshi in this dimension, but we can still use at least some of our knowledge and experience about fighting youma to give us the edge we need." The sixteen-year-old reincarnation of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Jupiter growled, her vivid green eyes flashing with grim determination, "I don't give a _damn_ about Kuramorimine's so-called expert tactics or how powerful their tanks are supposed to be. This Saturday, come hell or high water, _they're going down!"_

. . . . .

The next morning...

" _Fire!"_

"Hai!" Ami instantly responded with a firm squeeze on the trigger.

Her Panzer's gun surged backward, recoiling along its guide tracks and sending its shell blitzing through the air.

Makoto stood in the turret, watching with satisfaction as the round caught Anzu's Hetzer in mid-turn, burrowing deeply into its hull. "There's the white flag. Turtle team is out of action. Minna, there's one last tank hiding in the woods to our right, and it's Rabbit team's Lee. That's our next target."

"I didn't see anything over that way" her driver replied. "Are you sure, Mako-chan?"

"Hai, I'm sure. I can feel it." Makoto ordered her crew, "Ami-chan, center your gun. We're going to attack them from the rear, so they can't return fire with their main gun without turning their tank around. Minako-chan, turn hard right and take us into that gully, quick as you can. When it ends, slow down and go left after we climb out."

"On it!"

Luna team's tank heeled sharply around and roared downhill into the wide chasm with Minako joyfully pinning the accelerator pedal to the floor.

From the top of a hill at one side of the practice area, Miho's Panzer IV sat with its engine shut down, its crew acting temporarily as non-combatant observers for the day's skirmish. The entire Anglerfish team stood watching beside their open hatches as the other Panzer quickly disappeared into the crevasse.

"Very sneaky!" Miho smiled approvingly, instinctively knowing her brunette friend's next move. "That's exactly what I would have done."

"Luna team is on fire today, Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari exclaimed. "The've already knocked out two tanks in five minutes!"

"And they'll get a third if Azusa doesn't spot them in time!" her commander giggled. "I'm tempted to warn her, but that wouldn't be fair. If Makoto's crew manages to disable Rabbit team, we'll let them know we're rejoining the action and try to make things more interesting for our friends."

Miho raised her binoculars to better glimpse the action occuring within the distant trees. "Minna, it looks like Makoto's Panzer is out of the gully, about seven or eight hundred meters from Rabbit. They've slowed down and are trying to sneak behind the Lee."

"I don't think Ami will shoot yet" her gunner mused. "At that range, she isn't guaranteed a kill."

"I agree, Hana" Miho replied. "If I was commanding Luna, I'd close to within- _and there they go!_ Azusa must've heard the Panzer's engine, they're making a run for it!"

She heard Ami fire again, but couldn't immediately tell if the blue-haired girl's rushed shot was on target. "Rabbit is still moving, so I'd call that a near miss."

Seconds later, the other teens of Anglerfish team spotted the Lee charge into view, fleeing for its life into the flat clearing beyond the forest.

"That's a serious mistake" Mako murmured from the top of the hull. "Azusa is trying to outrun a tank that has a faster top speed than hers, and with a relatively weak gun in her turret, she's putting herself in a hopeless position."

"Hai" Miho nodded, lowering her binoculars. "A problem she may face again this weekend. I'll talk to her later and suggest something else she can try." The Anglerfish commander soon spied Makoto's Panzer appear, racing in hot pursuit of their now zig-zagging quarry. "Minako certainly enjoys squeezing the most out of her tank's engine!" she said as she watched the gap between the two tanks rapidly close. She smiled at Mako. "Just like my driver does."

"I wonder who would win if Mako and Minako had a race with their Panzers, Miho?" her radio operator asked.

"That sounds like a fun experiment, Saori!" Miho laughed. "Maybe we should try it sometime after Saturday's match. Think you can beat her, Mako?"

"If it's a straight line race, I predict a tie, Miho-san. We'd need to include a few sharp turns around obstacles or other tanks to compare our maneuvering skills."

"Good idea! I'll definitely keep that in mind." The Anglerfish girls heard another loud blast echo off their hill as Ami again fired her weapon. "Impressive!" Miho exclaimed. "That's three quick kills for Ami and Luna team today!" She told her radio operator, "Saori, make the call. Let Makoto know we're back in action. Minna, to your stations, please!"

. . . . .

Ten minutes later, the last surviving tank of the day rumbled up alongside Makoto's now-disabled Panzer. The girl in command of Luna team chuckled and shook her head as Miho smiled and waved at her.

"You got us again, Miho-san. And this time, I didn't see or hear your tank coming at us until Hana's shot hit our turret! How on earth can you do that?"

"That's how a real anglerfish survives in the ocean, Makoto-san. Its prey may see its esca, but completely miss the wide-open mouth and rows of sharp teeth behind it until it's too late. But there's no reason to feel let down" Miho smiled brightly. "Your team's effort during today's practice was nothing less than fantastic! If my other tanks perform on Saturday as well as you did today, maybe we _will_ have some small hope of victory in our battle against Kuramorimine and Saunders."

"Damn right we will!" the tall brunette grinned.

. . . . .

Early that evening, Miho sat at her apartment's study desk, facing a single sheet of paper. At the top of the page she had written 'Tactics for Nagasaki Match' but the remainder of the paper was still blank. 'I'm really having trouble coming up with a good counter to Maho and Kay' she thought with a sigh. 'And our match is tomorrow afternoon. I'm running out of time.'

As she sat lost in thought pondering her school's limited options, her door buzzer sounded. Not expecting anyone to drop by until sometime later, Miho inquisitively hurried over to answer it.

"Yes?"

The muffled voice of a young male replied through the closed door. "Uh... I have a special delivery for Nishizumi Miho from St. Gloriana Girls College."

"Oh! You must be the Sunkus courier with our tea!" Thinking it rather odd that the delivery to her apartment was being made by a guy, she unlocked the door and reached for its handle to swing it open. "Arigatou. Please bring it... in..."

But the sight of the teenage boy she found standing in the hallway, wearing a Sunkus uniform and holding a large cardboard box in his hands, sprang her eyes open as wide as saucers. The stunned girl gasped, then blurted his name.

_"Yusei?!"_

Her boyfriend smiled shyly back. "Konnichiwa, Miho-san."

. . . . .


End file.
